Direction-indicator



A. E. COLLINS. DIRECTION INDICATOR.'

APPLICATION FILED IAN.26, 1920. y 1 1,362,283, Patented Dec. 14, 1920.

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UNITED STATES ALBERT EDWARD COLLINS, 0F TORNTO, ONTARIO, CANADA.

DIRECTION -IN DICAT 0R.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec..14, 1920.

Application filed January 26, 1920. Serial No. 353,950.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ALBERT EDWARD GOL- LiNs, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 32A Breadalbane street, in the city of Toronto, in the county of York, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, broker, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Direction-Indicators, of which the following is the specication.

My invention relates to improvements in direction indicators and the object of the invention is to devise a simple form of indicator which will simultaneously indicate both in a forward and backward direction and at each side of the car and at the same time to devise such a device that will be weather proof and which may be operated instantaneously by the driver and it consists essentially of the arrangement and construction of parts as hereinafter more particularly explained.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a poi-tion of a car broken away to exhibit my indicating device showing the casing thereof in section.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view through my indicating device.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of my indicating device removed from the car. y

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view on line 4-4, Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view on line 5 5, Fig. 2.

inthe drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the various iigures.

1 indicates a portion of a car corresponding to the engine hood and 2 that portion directly above the dash board. The portion 1 is provided with transversely opposite openings 3 and 6. 7 is a casing which is preferably rectangular in cross section and is open at its ends and extends between the openings 3 and 6 thereby forming a trans` verse orice extending through the car. 8 is a shaft journaled in the casing 7 centrally thereof and upon which is secured a .gear pinion 9 located within the casing. 10 is a grooved wheel which is secured to the shaft 8 in front of and to the outside of the casing 7 and to which is secured within the groove 11v a cord 12, the cord 12 being secured to the wheel 10 centrally of its length. The free ends of the cord 12 are provided with pull handles 13 and 14. v

15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 are a series of slide bars each provided with a rack portion 2O Vplain surface 27 located at the side of each rack. 2 8 and 29 are pins extending through the' casing at one side of the center and on which are Journaled rollers 30 and 31 a roller 30 and 31 being provided above and below each bar 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19.

32 and 33 are cross pins extending through the Casinor 7 toward the opposite end thereof and on which are mounted rollers 34 and 35 the rollers 34 and 35 beingV provided to co act with each slide bar 21 to 25. By this means the slide bars 15-to 19 and 21 to 25 are guided as they are carried outward by y means which I ywill hereinafter describe.

36 are leaf springs carried by the casing and bearing against the upper face of each bar 15 to 19 in proximity to .the gear pinion 9. 37 are similar leaf springs carried by the casing 7 and bearing against the lower face of each slide bar 22 to 25. 38, 39, 40, 41 and 42 are A shafts extending through the casing and on which are secured cam arms 43, 44,45, 46 and 47 the ends of the arms being preferably semicircular in form. The shafts `38, 39, 40, 41 and 42 are provided with buttons 48, 49, 50, 51 and 52 by which the cani arms 43, 44, 45, 46 and y47 may be operated. The bars 15 to 19 are provided with indicating plates 53 on which is inscribed the direction such as Right, Left, Stop, Ahead and Back. The bars 21 to 25 are provided with similar indicating plates 54 which extend upwardly therefrom as will be clearly seen from 'the drawing. 55 are covers which are hinged to the casing 7 in proximity to each end thereof and which when the slide bars 15 to 19 and 21 to 25 are slid inwardly within the casing drop down by gravity to forni a 'closure for the ends of the casingso as to prevent rain or sleet entering.

Having described the rincipal parts in# volved in my invention If will now brieiiy describe the operation of the saine.

When it is desired to indicate any direction all that it is necessary to do is to turn the corresponding button4`8, 49, 50, 51, or

52 to the horizontal position out of contact with the slide bars 15 and'21 allo'wing the racks 20 and 26 to be carried into engagement with the teeth of the gear pinion 9 by the pressure of the springs 36 and 37 bear.- ing against the outer face of the bars 15 and 21. I/Vhen this operation is complete the pull handle 13 is carried downward into the position shown in Fig. 3 thereby rotating the grooved wheel 10, shaft 8 and pinion 9 carrying the bars 15 and 21 in 0pposite directions so as to carry the indicating plates 53 and 541 thereof outward through the openends ofthe casing 7 to the exposed position. As the bars 15 and 21 pass outward they engage the swinging covers 55 carrying them into the position indicated in Fig. 2. l,When it is desired to return the indicators to the normal position all that it is necessary to do is to pull the pull handle lll when-the bars 15 and 21 will be carried inward toward their normal position and as soon as they arrive at the extreme inward position the button 52 may be turned in the opposite direction to that previously described so as to carry the racks 20 and 26 out of engagement withthe pinion 9 recompressing the springs 36and 37.

From thisdescription it will be seen that I have devised a very simple form of indicator-which may` if desired be built into the body of the; car and, therefore, under normal f conditions practically invisible and such as may be easily and quickly operated to indicate simultaneously at'eachA side of the carand in both a forward and rearward direction andat the same time provide such a device Vaswill be weather proof.

That I claim as my invention is:

`1. In a direction indicator, the combination with an automobile body having transversely opposite openings in the sides thereof, of a series of pairs of slide bars supported within the body so as to extend from opposite sides thereof, and a single means operated by the driver for independently carrying any one of such pairs of indicating slides to or from the indicating position through each of the aforesaid openings.

2. In an` automobile direction indicator,

Va rectangular open ended casing, a series of slide bars supported within the casing, and a single means operated by thek driver for independently sliding in pairs the slide bars in and out of the open ends of the casing into-and out of an indicating position at each side of the car.

3. In an automobile direction indicator, a rectangular casing, a series of slide bars Y arranged'in-pairs adapted to extend'from vet each side of the-car and slidably supported within each end-of the casing, a shaft journaledi centrally within the casing, a gear connection between the shaft and each pair of., slide bars, means for independently throwingthe gear connection ofeach pairk in and outI of-engagement, and meansl for rotating the shaft operated from a position in front of the dash board of the car.

et. In an automobile direction indicator, a rectangular open ended casing, a series of slide bars located at each end of the casing and slidably supported therein, a shaft journaled within the casing centrally of its` length, a gear connection between the shaft and the slide bars located at each end of the casing, resilient means for independently holding each slide bar in gear connection,` independent cam meanscontrolled by the driver for holding each slide bar out of gear connection andmeans located in front of theV dash. board for rotating the shaft.

In an automobile direction indicator,.a rectangular open ended casing, a series of slide bars located at each endiof the casing one set extending above the center andthe other below the center of the casing, a gear rack carried by each, slide bar, ashaft journaled in the casing, a broad gear pinion mounted upon the shaft, resilient means for carrying the gear racks independently into engagement'with the gear pinion, turnable means controlled by the driver for spreading any one pair of gear racks out ofengagement with the pinion and means for rotating the pinion located at the outside of the casing afterthe release `of such spreading means. Y

6. In an Vautomobile direction indicator, a rectangular open ended casing, a series of slide bars located at each end of the :casing and carrying indicating means at their outerV end one set extending in nroximity tothe top of the casing and the otlher set extending in proximity to the bottom, a shaft journaled centrally within the casing, a broad Y gear pinion mounted uponthe shaft, resilient means for forcing the racks independently intoV engagement with the gear pinion, a series of crossshafts journaledv in the-casing, turn buttons mounted upon the cross shafts exteriorly of the casing, cam arms carried by the cross shaftsadapted to engage the oppositely alined slide bars to force them in and out of engagementwith the gear pinion, and means located exteriorly ofthe casingV for rotating thevgear pinion.

7. In an automobile direction indicator,a

rectangular open-ended. casing, a series ofV slide bars located at each endof the casino' and carrying indicating. means` at their outer end one set extending in proximity to the top of the casing and the otherset extending in proximity to the bottom, a shaft jour? naled centrally within the casing, a broad gear pinion mounted upon the shaft, resilient means for forcing the racks independently intoengagement with the gear pinion, a series of cross shafts journaledl inthe casing, turn buttons mounted upon the ,cross shafts exteriorly of the casing, camV arms carried by the cross shafts adapted to` engage the oppositely alined slide bars to force them in and out of engagement with the gear pinion, a grooved pulley Wheel mounted upon the gear pinion shaft and a pull cord pro- 5 vided With pull handles Wound upon the pulley and secured thereto intermediately of its length.

8. In a direction indicator, a container having transversely opposing openings, a se- 10 ries of sign carrying slide barsrlocated in proximity to each opening and having overlapping inner ends, and means located in the center ofthe container and engaging the overlapping ends and operated from the exterior of the container for moving any one alined pair of each series in opposite directions and means for normally holding against resilient pressure the overlapping arms out of engagement with the operating means.

ALBERT EDWARD COLLINS. 

